


Heart's Friend

by amyfortuna



Category: Watership Down - Richard Adams
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Story within a Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 06:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6600631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bigwig and Hazel listen to a story on a cold autumn evening that leads them to put into words what they mean to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart's Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Serenade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenade/gifts).



The Honeycomb was cozy: crowded just enough to feel pleasantly snug after a cold day. Bigwig, as was his wont, settled down next to Hazel, who was listening with twitching ears to Daisy, one of the yearlings - one of Dandelion's - telling a story, and Bigwig pressed his side warmly against Hazel's. 

"All settled, Hazel-rah," he said. "No dogs in the vicinity, no cats anywhere about. The Thousand are staying pretty low tonight, I'd say."

"Any Woundworts about?" Hazel spoke softly, nuzzling Bigwig. 

"Not a one," Bigwig said. "But if there were, between you and I, we'd beat him all over again." 

Hazel turned and nuzzled him again, more thoroughly this time. "We would." 

"What's the tale?" Bigwig asked. "El-ahrairah meets Rabscuttle?" Hazel nodded, and they both settled down to listen. 

"....And El-ahrairah said to Prince Rainbow: 'Princes have companions beside them, a bosom friend in their hour of need. You have your ever-present dog, who is never seen but by your side. Even Frith and Inlé share a dance across the skies. But I have no dear friend to call my own.'

"Prince Rainbow laughed. 'Surely we should all fear El-ahrairah with a companion in mischief,' he said. 'You are probably best without a companion - for the sake of all animal kind. Aren't does enough for you?' 

'Does are does,' El-ahrairah said. 'They have their own cares and their own needs, and can't always be by my side in pure and simple loyalty. What I want is not just a mate, but an eternal friend.' 

'You rabbits are so competitive,' Prince Rainbow said. 'You will never find anyone loyal enough for you, someone who would lay down his life to protect you.'

'Well, if we are so competitive, let this be a competition," El-ahrairah said, somewhat miffed. 'I will choose my companion in mischief from volunteers among my people, and I will pick the one who impresses me the most.' 

'Let it be so,' Prince Rainbow said. 'I will return to watch you judge, for I think it will make for a good laugh.'

So the word went out, and on the day that El-ahrairah appointed, many rabbits gathered together from all over the world to take part in the contest. 

It didn't go well. Many of those who clearly loved El-ahrairah were also somewhat lacking in wit and cunning, and those who had wit and cunning seemed to also be the ones who didn't care for El-ahrairah. By ni-Frith, El-ahrairah was bored, and by sunset he was wishing heartily that he had never called the competition in the first place. There just seemed to be no suitable rabbit for him. 

Rabscuttle had always loved El-ahrairah and wanted to show his loyalty and devotion by impressing El-ahrairah and becoming his boon companion. But on that day, Rabscuttle was running late. Everything seemed to go wrong for him, and he didn't even get anywhere near the large field where the competition was being held until nearly sunset. 

Not far away from the warren, a pack of dogs had assembled, knowing that there were to be a large number of rabbits in the field that evening. One of them in particular was out to catch El-ahrairah himself, for the cunning Prince had once stolen carrots from a garden he was meant to be guarding. Rabscuttle overheard their conversation, hidden in a thorn bush, and vowed that he would not only impress El-ahrairah, but save his life and many lives of his people at the same time.

He nosed about in the bushes until he found a puddle of mud from the recent rain, and rolled about in it, covering himself in the dark mass of rotten vegetable matter. White sticks were scattered about - he took several of them and placed them at his ears and along his back in an imitation of the pattern on El-ahrairah's fur. 

Edging out from under the bushes, he made his way to within sight of the pack. 

'Well, it's shaped like a rabbit but it don't smell much like one,' one of the dogs said, catching a glimpse of him in the half-light. 'What are you, strange creature?'

'Beware,' Rabscuttle intoned, slow and solemn. 'The running fever is visiting the warren today. I alone escaped. I am El-ahrairah.'

'The running fever!' the dog yelped, backing away. 

'You are El-ahrairah?' the dog who bore the grudge asked at the same time. 

'By the pattern of my fur, I am,' Rabscuttle said. 'Come and get me, if you want to die howling.' 

He was counting on the dog to hesitate. When the dog leaped, Rabscuttle was already flying away, running as fast as he could away from the warren. Not many of the rest of the dogs followed, and by the time he was running up the steep hill that overlooked the field where the competition was in its final stages, only the dog with the grudge was still after him. 

As he ran, the mud and the white sticks began to fall off, slowly revealing the pattern of his fur. But he kept going, hoping it would be enough.

Down in the field, El-ahrairah couldn't bear to look at the latest young fool, and was glancing about from side to side, nose twitching. A shape came flying up the hill in his view, and behind it a dog was in swift pursuit. Rabscuttle dodged and weaved and dived among the bushes, trying to confuse the creature, but slowly it was gaining on him. 

'That is one of my people,' he said to Prince Rainbow. 'It's not right that he should die in front of us all. Imagine the effect on morale in the warren, especially as he's more clever than half the young fellows I've met today.'

'Fair enough,' Prince Rainbow said, and bent to his dog, whispering a few words. The dog sped off, and shortly thereafter was seen chivvying the other dog away from Rabscuttle, who lay spent and shivering in the nearest bush. El-ahrairah loped up the hill to him, leaving the competition to run itself. 

"Who are you?" he asked Rabscuttle. 

"I am El-ahrairah," Rabscuttle answered boldly. "Can't you see my fur? That's what I said to that dog, anyway."

El-ahrairah laughed. "You threw yourself in front of a dog to save me? You rolled in mud and decorated yourself with white sticks for my sake?" 

Rabscuttle inched closer to El-ahrairah. "Master, I would have given my life to save yours." 

El-ahrairah looked long and hard at him. "Then you, and no other, are my boon companion, my heart's friend. Come with me, and let's get this mud out of your fur." 

They loped away together, leaving behind the rest of the warren in the field as the sun set. Prince Rainbow laughed. "Mischief makers, the pair of you!" he said. "Gardeners of the world, be afraid!" 

As Daisy finished, an appreciative murmur arose in the warren, and then the group in the Honeycomb started breaking up into pairs and threes to go off to their own burrows. Hazel glanced over at Bigwig. 

"Somehow, I'm not ready to turn in yet," he said. "How do you feel about a little moonlit silflay?" 

"I'm with you," Bigwig answered. 

Outside it was cold, a late autumn evening. The harvest moon shone huge and yellow in the sky, and the grass was pale and thin. Bigwig and Hazel munched at the grass for a while, then Bigwig sat back on his haunches to regard the moon solemnly. "Hazel-rah," he said, "if I were Rabscuttle, would you be El-ahrairah?" 

Hazel laughed. "Are you proposing that we rob a garden?"

"Not at this time of year," Bigwig said. "No, what I mean is...am I your heart's friend?"

Hazel didn't have to hesitate before replying. "You are, of course you are," he said, and pressed his nose to Bigwig's flank, to drive home the point. "You are my dear friend, you are my captain. Without you we would not have survived."

Bigwig turned and touched his nose to Hazel's. "And you are my Chief Rabbit, the one who I would gladly give my life for over and over again. You may not - quite - be El-ahrairah, but you have tricks worthy of the Prince - Kehaar was your idea, it was you who spoke to the mouse. It was you who led us here, through all the danger. If not for you, we would have stopped running long ago." 

Hazel nuzzled close for a long contented moment. "Come," he said at last. "It's very cold. In my burrow we can lie warm and snug, heart's friend."


End file.
